Phogat, leader of Indian wrestlers' protest, storms into Olympic final

Phogat won her semifinal 5-0 against Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez

By ANI

Published: Tue 6 Aug 2024, 10:48 PM

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat made it to the final of the women's 50 kg freestyle category at the Paris Olympics after she secured a win in the semifinal over Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez on Tuesday.

Phogat, one of the leaders in the Indian wrestlers' protest against politician Brij Bhushan Singh over alleged sexual harassment, outclassed Lopez with a 5-0 score.

Earlier, Phogat made it to the semifinals with a 7-5 quarterfinals win over Ukraine's Oksana Livach.

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In the QFs, Vinesh took a lead of 2-0 in the first period. However, Oksana managed to deliver a fight in the second period. But Phogat, the World Championships medalist, held off the challenge from Ukrainian and secured a semifinal berth.

The ace Indian wrestler delivered a brilliant start to her Paris Olympics campaign as she defeated the top seed and the Tokyo 2020 champion Yui Susaki of Japan in the women's 50kg freestyle round of 16 match.

Susaki was leading 1-0 at the end of the first period, but Phogat made a brilliant turnaround in the second period, outdoing her Japanese opponent by miles to secure a 3-2 win to make way to QFs.

Yui is not only the defending champion but also a three-time world champion in the 50 kg freestyle category and the current Asian champion.

Phogat's uncle, Mahavir Phogat, a legendary Indian wrestler, backed his niece to win the gold medal for India on Wednesday.

Legendary Indian wrestler expressed optimism that her niece Vinesh Phogat will fulfil his dream of winning a gold medal for her country.

"The country had great expectations from her during the 2016 and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But this time, I am very confident that Vinesh will fulfil my dream of a gold medal. She defeated a top Japanese wrestler in the first round," Mahavir said.

"I focused on the match against the Japanese wrestler, who did a lot of leg attacks. I had told her to fight defensively in the first round and she did that. In the next round, she showcased her talent and power."

Meanwhile, Indian superstar Neeraj Chopra came up with a superb effort to qualify for the final in the men's javelin throw at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

India's Neeraj Chopra in action. — Reuters

The Tokyo Games gold medallist produced a season's best throw of 89.34m in his very first attempt in Group B to earn his place in the final.

The 26-year-old Chopra, who also won the World Championship title last year, is hoping to become only the fifth man in history to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in men's javelin throw.

Germany's Julian Weber, one of the top contenders for the gold medal, fired the best throw (87.76) from Group A in the qualification round.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, a gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games and a silver medallist at the World Championships, fired a warning shot at his rivals with an impressive throw of 86.59.

The Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch, another top contender, managed to achieve a throw of 85.63.